Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic School in Mandeville is losing its principal

Seven years after taking the job as principal of Mary, Queen of Peace in Mandeville, Jan Daniel Lancaster prepares to leave the Catholic school that has seen its enrollment nearly triple since she arrived.

While departing with a heavy heart, she says having an opportunity to teach at the college level is one she just can't pass.

Lancaster, 49, will become an instructor of Education Administration in November at Our Lady of Holy Cross College in Algiers.

ELLIS LUCIA / THE TIMES-PICAYUNEJan Daniel LancasterTaking over for Lancaster will be experienced educator and administrator Sybil Skansi, who recently spent 11 years as principal at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic School in Algiers before leaving in 2008.

Lancaster certainly has a wealth of experience for her new job, much of which came through leading Mary, Queen of Peace through the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, its most disconcerting time since it was established in 1996.

Since 2005, the school, which now runs from pre-K3 to seventh grade, has added classrooms for its more than 550 students, up from about 200 when Lancaster became principal in 2003. While the wheels already were in motion to expand, Katrina helped speed up the process.

"We came back three weeks after the storm, and one of the things Father (Ronald Calkins, pastor) wanted to do was to talk to every family that was new to the school and see what they needed," Lancaster said. "I think the hardest thing and the most rewarding part of the whole growth was that we had the opportunity to make a difference in people's lives and really step up to the plate as a Catholic community.

"That was also very challenging because of the growth, expanding so quickly and having so many people who lost everything. ... We wanted them to know that we really cared, and that was the most challenging part, because there were so many people in that situation."

After almost 20 years in administration - first as an assistant principal at Our Lady of the Lake in Mandeville, then as principal of St. Agnes in Jefferson before arriving at Mary, Queen of Peace - Lancaster feels that now is the right time to leave. While saying goodbye will be tough, Lancaster looks forward to moving on to what she planned to do after receiving a doctorate in Education Administration from the University of Memphis in 2003.

"I really love Mary, Queen of Peace; it has just been everything anyone could want a school, a Catholic school to be," she said. "The people here live their faith, and they perceive everything they do as a ministry and a true calling. It has been an awesome thing to be a part of.

"I have the opportunity to teach future principals, and I am very excited about that. But leaving here is just a lot harder than I ever imagined, because this school has just become a part of me."

Skansi, meanwhile, has been involved in Catholic education for almost 30 years and has spent the past two years as principal at Annunciation Catholic School in Bogalusa.Hiring a new person to take the reins was tough, but Calkins is confident Mary, Queen of Peace is in great shape.

"We are going to miss her a whole lot; she has been a great principal," Calkins said of Lancaster. "She was the one, and I have said this many, many times, who pushed me to open up our doors to see these new families because it was the right thing to do.

"We're very sorry to see her leave, but she explained to me many months ago that this was going to be her last year here and that she felt the Lord was calling her to something different. It's a loss for us, but I feel very confident in Mrs. Skansi and very blessed that she was available for us."